A balanced pH protects us from the inside out. Get the dish on why pH levels are important and what you can do to create a healthy balance between acid and alkaline in your body.

The reason a balanced pH is crucial to your health.

An imbalance of acid and alkaline in the body allows unhealthy organisms to flourish. This disparity damages tissues and organs and can compromise the immune system; however, disease is less able to develop in a body whose pH is in balance.

Quick facts:

PH is short for the “potential of Hydrogen.” It is a measure of our body’s acid and alkaline level in our body’s fluids and tissues. It is measured on a scale from 0 to 14.

The more acidic a solution is, the lower its pH. The more alkaline, the higher the number is.

A pH of 7 is perfectly neutral and balanced. The healthiest pH is one that is slightly alkaline. Optimally, we want a pH of 7.5. Your pH number may fluctuate slightly throughout the day depending on your food consumption and stress level.

pH balance and weight loss

In addition to maintaining a healthy environment for your body to flourish, a balanced pH level will allow for healthy weight loss. When the body is acidic, it retains body fat to protect itself. It is more difficult to lose weight when the pH balance is acidic.

“When the human body is in an acidic state, it will try to shield itself from the damaging acid by storing the acid in fat cells. The body attempts to prevent the acid from eating holes in tissues. When the acid level is high in the body, calcium is also depleted. Your body may make fat cells to store unwanted acid for its protection. This process may save your vital organs from severe damage. By returning to a balanced pH level, you may lose unwanted fat cells.”

What affects our pH level?

The kidneys maintain our electrolyte levels, and when we are exposed to acidic substances, it can force our bodies to rob minerals from the bones, cells, organs and tissues. Cells end up lacking minerals to dispose properly of waste. Vitamin absorption is compromised by the mineral loss. Toxins and pathogens accumulate in the body, and the immune system can become suppressed.

Our body often retains fat cells to protect us from this internal acidic environment.

What causes acidity in your body?

Here is a quick guide to some of the most acidic substances we consume:

• Alcohol

• Animal meats

• Antibiotics

• Artificial sweeteners

• Diet soda

• Food coloring

• Preservatives

• Low fiber food

• Processed foods

• Pesticides and herbicides

Other reasons our acidic levels may increase:

• Shallow breathing

• Chronic stress

• Lack of exercise

• Lack of sleep

• Inadequate chewing

• Fast eating

As seen, there are many ways to make an adjustment to balance our pH levels. It is important to understand with just some changes you can have a positive effect on your body and your weight.

Having a higher acidic body over an extended period can cause health problems. The effects of a highly acidic body include:

• Allergies

• Asthma

• Fatigue

• Frequent colds

• Headaches

• Heartburn

• Inflammation

• Joint/muscle pain

• Poor metabolism

• Skin problems

• Ulcers • Weight gain

Long-term highly acid systems can result in many medical problems including:

• Arthritis

• Osteoporosis

• Cancer

• Stroke

• Fibromyalgia

• Heart disease

Easy fix

There are some simple ways to reduce your acid levels to attain that balance the body needs. Altering what foods and drinks you consume allows for some control over your acid level.

• Most fruits and vegetables contain potassium, which is a natural defense against acidity. The western diet contains little in the way of fresh and raw fruits and vegetables.

• It is not that we can never eat any refined or processed foods or ever drink alcohol or eat
meats again. What we need to do is balance our food intake to ensure the alkaline foods are consumed more than the acid foods. This enables the body to have a balance.

• Surprisingly, acidic fruits such as lemon, lime and grapefruit don’t create acidity in the body. They do just the opposite and contribute to an alkaline environment. Once ingested, they change to be very alkaline; in fact, if you can include a tablespoon or two of lemon or lime juice in water every day, you are doing something very positive for your body’s alkaline level.

• Cooking foods can deplete alkaline minerals; therefore, increasing our intake of raw foods such as salads, can have a positive effect.

There are also supplements that can aid in balancing the body’s pH level including probiotics, magnesium, calcium and vitamin D3.

How to test your pH level

You can test your pH by purchasing pH strips at your local health foods store or pharmacy. You can measure your pH with saliva or urine. The second urination of the day gives us the best results. You then compare the colors on your test strip with the provided chart in your pH kit. During the day, the best time to test your pH is one hour before a meal and two hours after a meal.

More information and articles can be read from Dr. Karen at DrKarenPhillip.com. To find out about her Virtual Hypnotherapy products visit VirtualHypnotherapy.com.

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